Burgled again - the straw that broke the Camel's back

[EMM]

We do know your property having looked through the gates a number of times before you moved in.
Our definitions of opportunist crime may differ and you may have cause to suspect certain individuals.
As for crimes from non native individuals if that has any relevance a quick google search would reveal that the UK is sadly no different as is the risk of burglary and break ins.
You have made your decision and I am sure we all wish you well in the future.

[shanagarry]

I have no doubt the UK has a greater crime rate than Portugal and knowing that I protect myself accordingly.

What we are struggling with here is the need to close windows and doors when we move from one part of the house to another. The great climate here creates an open-air ambience where doors and windows should be left open and clearly the thieves know that and capitalise on it. That does not apply in the UK - for obvious reasons.

This matter has run its course now and we no longer wish to be reminded of it. It has brought what we had hoped would be a very pleasant phase in our life to an abrupt and unpleasant end and that hurts.

I am grateful to all for your kind words and thoughts - they are really appreciated

[pato]

I have no doubt the UK has a greater crime rate than Portugal and knowing that I protect myself accordingly.

What we are struggling with here is the need to close windows and doors when we move from one part of the house to another. The great climate here creates an open-air ambience where doors and windows should be left open and clearly the thieves know that and capitalise on it. That does not apply in the UK - for obvious reasons.

This matter has run its course now and we no longer wish to be reminded of it. It has brought what we had hoped would be a very pleasant phase in our life to an abrupt and unpleasant end and that hurts.

I am grateful to all for your kind words and thoughts - they are really appreciated

Sorry to hear about your experiences Shanagarry I was hoping to have the pleasure of meeting you at some future period in my life for a little chinwag.
I've been a casual resident in Cvo for twenty five years and have had a couple of incidents such as yours unfortunately, it doesn't detere me because at present the score is, The Wirral (one serious) 5 Cvo 3, I feel your criminal activity problems may arise from knowledge of your lifestyle due to inside information gleaned by someone who works for you and passed on to the local criminal fraternity.
It's a horrible situation to be in I know, and I hate to pass on the warnings to friends and clients who visit my pad, it sounds really frightening. I personally will continue to visit the area because the therapeutic benefits outway the sneak thief problems, at least they do in my estimation, how long this train of thought will continue I can't envisage.
I'm sad your dream has shattered and I hope everything works out for you both back in the UK, just stay away from Birlenhead ......... Regards Pato

[ron5000]

Birkenhead is also a place to be avoided so I'm told

[Bruce Wallis]

Birkenhead is also a place to be avoided so I'm told

Not when Pato's in Carvoeiro

[pato]

Birkenhead is also a place to be avoided so I'm told

Not when Pato's in Carvoeiro

Nice little touch of scouse humour there Bruce, it never leaves you does it eh!

[joeysoap]

I am sorry for Shanagarry and sorry that he is leaving. I always enjoyed his balanced and thoughtful posts.

The knife bit bothers me though. This scumbag/s got in by hopping over the back gate. dog did not bark of attack them. So why pick up a knife to hold off the dog on the way out?

[Michael Crane]

How come they managed to enter the exact time you were in the shower? Can your shower room be seen from the where they climbed over the gate?

Perhaps some sort of chain/bar attached to an open door is a solution? Too narrow for a thief but wide enough for a dog or cat to get through.

[shanagarry]

This scumbag/s got in by hopping over the back gate. dog did not bark of attack them

Our dog is a German Shepherd/Labrador cross with an agressive bark and appearance - but only wants to play. He would not attack. My guess is they were unsure and took the knife from the kitchen just-in-case.

I always enjoyed his balanced and thoughtful posts.

Joey - I won't necessarily stop contributing to the Forum - time will tell. But we are leaving Carvoeiro in September.

Can your shower room be seen from the where they climbed over the gate?

No it can't but the kitchen door can and as it was ajar they seized their opportunity.

This whole situation has turned me into a security ogre - to the extent that I have become obsessed with closing doors and windows - even for short periods. We have family staying with us at present with young children and I am forever following them around to make sure every possible entry point is secured. I must be annoying the life out of them and I'm not too happy about it myself either.

I posted previously that I wanted closure on this matter - which I do - but I have been overwhelmed with the messages and gestures of support on here, from those who know us and people (strangers to me) have stopped me in the street to add their kind words for which we are both very grateful. It's a pity that this area is not populated by more people like all you who have taken the time to offer and write your messages of support.

Thank you all very much

[joyboycpl]

Despite taking all the precautions under the sun - I let my guard down while taking a shower last evening and am now less One Laptop, 2 iPads and an iPhone. I left the kitchen door ajar for the dog to get in and the rest is history. The GNR found a knife in the garden which must have been used to hold the dog off - not that he would attack anyway.

This is the second time - the alarm foiled the first attempt but having to live under a siege regime is not for us - we are off. After 20+ years starting as visitors, then owning a holiday home and eventually making the permanent move - we believed we had it all working for us. Blue skies and beautiful sunshine are fine - but the constant threat of crime undoes all the good - we're out of here.

In the morning I will start getting removal prices and all being well we should be out of here by early September - never to return.

Back to wet and miserable West Sussex - but at least its safer

sorry to hear you are coming back to the uk but you will not find it any safer i left our k/window open sat in the living room about an hr later i went to get a cup of coffee to find a man half in the window trying to grab things off the side so its no safer here think its just the way of the world

[keela]

Unfortunately it is the way of the world at the moment. There are scumbags all over the place willing to help themselves to other people's possessions. This week alone it was reported on the TV that shootings in Liverpool have gone up 50% on the last year. Frightening. I really think that the politicians etc are blaming the "economic climate" for the rise in crime but this cannot be the only answer. My father was born in the 1920s. He was the youngest of 4. His father had been out of work and only started a job on the day my dad was born. My grandparents didn't have much money and there was no benefit system in place either. Grandma used to take in washing and do knitting for people and make clothes. My grandparents and indeed my father and his siblings did not go around breaking into places, mugging people etc so "poverty" is no excuse.

[shanagarry]

sorry to hear you are coming back to the uk but you will not find it any safer

I don't believe for one minute it is - but I can deal with that - because that is the UK way of life - always on your guard. Unfortunately that is the way it is here now and having to close doors and windows when you move around your home - is not what I 'signed-up' for in 1984 when we first found this 'jewel' of a location. Nothing has changed in that regard - as far as the beauty of the area and its genuine people is concerned - its simply that today's Carvoeiro is subject to the same toxic culture that pervades our 'modern' society and if I'm going to have to exist in that 'bubble' I will do so in its natural habitat.

Anyway, it's history now - the ferry is booked for September 13 at which time I will go through the transformational process to become an occasional visitor which hopefully will, in time, dissolve the disappointment and anger I experienced on July 11th when I discovered the burglary

[widge]

DeVere Group said the number of enquiries it has received about living abroad from people with savings and investments over £250,000 has shot up almost two fifths year-on-year.
Between January and June 2012, 841 Brits asked the company for advice on leaving the UK compared to 614 in the same period last year, the group said.
Nigel Green, chief executive of the deVere Group, said: “Against a backdrop of increasing taxes, a perceived social disorder, and yes, the weather, we’ve seen that high-net-worth individuals are increasingly likely to consider moving abroad and it is a trend which we fully expect to continue through 2012 and beyond.”
He added: “Wealthy Brits say they are looking to leave the UK as they believe crime and anti-social behaviour is soaring and they are seeking a higher quality of life in countries which boast a safe, family-orientated lifestyle.”
The most popular destinations for young people, between the ages of 35 and 40, include Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Mr Green said. British City professionals under the age of 45 are also looking at Hong Kong and Tokyo for their next “five-year career stint”, taking advantage of the tax regime, he said.

Retired Brits looking to escape a rain-soaked UK for a life in the sunshine were increasingly asking about Cyprus, he added. Fewer older people appeared to be considering a move to Spain, he said, potentially because of the country’s economic woes.

[shanagarry]

“Wealthy Brits say they are looking to leave the UK as they believe crime and anti-social behaviour is soaring and they are seeking a higher quality of life in countries which boast a safe, family-orientated lifestyle

Against a backdrop of increasing taxes, a perceived social disorder,

That's Portugal and most of Europe out of the equation - was there somewhere else they had in mind. Regretfully our entire world is mired in this toxic mix of the haves and the have nots - creating a very unpleasant prognosis.

Clearly those who are in the fortunate position of 'having' would dearly like to be somewhere better - finding that place is no longer the 'walk-in-the-park' proposition it once was - how sad

[keela]

I understand that you have had a nasty experience and this has obviously clouded your vision. You seem to be saying that the WHOLE of Portugal is crime ridden as is the rest of Europe. I wonder where abouts in the Uk will you be settling. I only hope that where-ever it is lives up to your expectations and doesn't suffer from crime of any sort. Sadly this isn't the case. Crime in the UK is supposedly down but this is REPORTED crime. there is a lot of crime which slips under the radar. Nowhere is perfect.